My Crush's Best Friend is a Vampire!
by storygirl1015
Summary: Cynical, darkly appealing and intense. Some say he may not be human. As Hinata gets to know the intriguing individual that is Sasuke, she begins to see it as less opinion and more fact. But she can't fall for the vamp if she likes his best friend, right?
1. A FateSealing Favor

**I wanted to try my hand at writing more supernatural fics in AU settings, and so, I present the second vampire fic in a hopefully long and successful line of carefully constructed literature. In this story, some characters will be human, and others, vampires. Another important point I feel it necessary to include is that there will be NO Sakura bashing anywhere throughout this fic, so Sakura haters have been well-forewarned.**

**The reason…? Simply because I get tired of reading fics where Sakura is constantly trashed and put down as, the "main antagonist", or, the catty, annoying, evil, scheming bitch that makes everybody's life miserable with her jealousy and selfish obsessions.**

**I mean, I know everyone is entitled to their own opinions but, is she honestly THAT bad? Hell, I've even read fics where Orochimaru, the ultimate arch-villain in the real Naruto series is given more props than Sakura, a slightly annoying but definitely far less evil side-character… I mean it's kind of redundant if you just stop to think about it…I'm sure there are plenty of other characters who have it bad, but I just used Sakura as an example because that's one of the most common character bashing targets I read about.**

**So, please try to keep character bashings like that to a minimum. It really kinda takes away from the element of the story if every other line is something like "the evil witch, Sakura", or "the pink-haired, man-stealing whore"…and it's annoying to read about, too. I know the obvious solution would be simply not to read fics that include it, but some really great stories of my favorite pairs seem to feature her as the "awful stepsister" a lot of times, so it's become kinda unavoidable.**

**Anyway, no flames please, and remember to REVIEW! **

**I do NOT own Naruto.**

**Summary**: She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but Hinata was sure there was something more than just a little strange about her crush's best friend; but still…she would've never guessed he was a blood-sucking creature of the night. Or that getting to know Naruto better would mean spending time with a cynical, dry-humored and witty vampire who hates the color pink and has an odd liking for tomatoes.

* * *

Some philosophers would say that you can love with only your heart and hate with only your mind. But… I don't believe that's entirely true. There are other emotions between love and hate, after all, like jealousy, anger, fear, betrayal, pain, joy and sorrow. And what is love if not all of these things at some point?

So you see the heart is an organ that can be used for more than simply loving.

Much, much more…however, would it be hypocritical to say that my heart has held the same absolute devotion for the past twelve years? I looked back down at the page I'd been reading for the last twenty minutes now. I may not have been the fastest reader in the word, but it didn't usually take me this long to read one paragraph.

I couldn't help it, my mind kept wandering off to other places and I'd been distracted like this all week, unable to focus on anything for more than a minute, always zoning out in the middle of tasks. It was very unlike me, and I knew that if I wasn't careful, people might start to notice that something was wrong. This was the last thing I wanted, of course.

I preferred to avoid attracting attention as much as possible, and besides, I believed that matters of the heart were meant to be kept sacredly confidential.

My eyes skimmed over the passage, again, for what had to be the nineteenth time in five minutes. '_You don't love someone because they're beautiful. You love them because they sing a song that only you can understand._' How very sweet and poetic.

It was a quote by one of my all time favorite female authors, Natsuko Arigama. I found her work to be very uplifting and inspirational. I'd often turn to her books whenever I'd had another rough day and needed a little bit of a pick-me up, especially concerning my love life, or lack thereof… Her books were all about living life to the fullest, never giving up, and finding romance in the most unlikely of places just by keeping an open mind and a positive attitude.

They helped to ease the pain whenever I thought about how little progress I'd made in my advances to win the heart of my beloved, who so far, hardly knew that I existed, even after being in the same classes virtually since grade school. Oh, well…maybe this year would be different. We were in college now and people were going crazy with "spring fever" and hooking up left and right. Maybe we'd be the next couple to—

"Hey Hinata!" My thoughts were soundly interrupted by the shouts of a certain pink-haired girl barreling towards me, a blond girl running right beside her. They both stopped in front of me, bending over and panting simultaneously like a couple of hunting hounds that'd been out running the fields all day.

Finally, the pink-haired one stood straight and took in a few quick gulps of air. Her face was still slightly flushed and her lively green eyes were blazing with passion and energy, as usual.

She sent me a small smile before starting, "Hey, Hinata, you haven't seen Sasuke-kun around have you?"

"Yeah, we've been looking for him all morning." the blond cut in, tossing her long hair over one shoulder. "_I'm_ going to ask him to the spring festival," she boasted proudly, pushing the pinkette out of the way.

The pink-haired girl sent the other a glare so full of bitterness and contempt, I'm sure it could've easily made even the deadliest bite of a snake seem like a harmless drop of water on the venom scale. It definitely _looked_ twice as lethal anyway. "Back off Ino, I asked her first," she snapped angrily.

She was the beautiful and brainy Haruno Sakura. And…she seemed perfect in all the ways I wasn't, at least to me. Gorgeous, talented, smart, wealthy, and popular. Plus, she had the one thing I yearned for most of all—Naruto's undivided attention and affection. Not that she wanted it. _Nooo.._. She, just like many other girls on campus, was after the quiet, cold, mysterious, and, "ultra hunky heartthrob", Sasuke, the king of both cool and creepy.

This fact was like a painful stab to the center of my heart, a mockery.

She had the one man I'd always wanted practically bowing at her feet, but instead she chose _him_. Still, I couldn't bring myself to despise her as most would in my position. She was just so…flawless. It almost seemed like a sin to hold any sort of resentment for someone so inconceivably perfect just for being born that way.

"So what, Sakura? You think you deserve to know where Sasuke is anymore than I do just because you happened to ask the freakin' question a millisecond before me?" she snorted, sending the same sharp-eyed death glare right back. "Dream on, forehead girl,"

I began to zone out as their argument escalated, but somehow I was able to push their loud bickering voices to the back of my mind, consumed by thoughts of my own. It was nothing new, anyway. They'd been arguing like this since as long as anyone could remember, way before college, starting somewhere back in elementary, I think. And it was always over the same thing, or should I say, person…

Uchiha Sasuke…

He was probably the most popular boy on campus, and had been ever since elementary school...or was it kindergarten…? Yep, even back when we were still carrying colorfully decorated lunchboxes and wearing light-up sneakers, I distinctively remember all the girls in class arguing about who got to stand next to him in line.

I used to feel sorry for him, because at recess he'd spend all his free time trying to hide from the crazy, lovesick girls who would chase him around the playground. And don't even get me started about the scenes his fan girls would cause about who got to sit next to him at lunchtime. One time, a food fight actually broke out.

But I never really knew much about him _personally_, just that everyone would always say he was _so _cool, mysterious and handsome.

I'll admit (though never aloud), given that I'm not really into the whole 'dark, sexy bad boy' thing, he _is _extremely attractive, and he does seem to emit a certain mystique that I guess I could understand why most people—especially females— would find him almost mesmerizingly alluring. But I mean I'm not _obsessed_ with the guy. In fact, it's not even close.

Maybe that's part of the reason why I've always been considered the "weird one"… well, besides the fact that when it comes to social settings, I'm a total wreck. Stuttering, blushing, sweaty palms, uncontrollable shaking…you name it, I'd probably be likely to experience it before the introductions were over and done with.

I was content to pine solely after the object of my own affections— Uzumaki Naruto, who ironically enough is best friends with Sasuke, even though the two are about as different as night and day.

Where Naruto is warm, sweet, loud and lively, Sasuke is cold, bitter, quiet, and about as antisocial as could be.

I know they say that opposites attract, so maybe that's why they've managed to stay best friends for so long. But honestly, they're such polar opposites it almost seems like they're _too_ far apart to ever be close in the first place.

I came back to the real world when I felt two impatient pairs of eyes belonging to two eager full-out Sasuke fan girls, staring straight at me. I gulped inwardly. The lustful looks in their eyes, like a crazed wild animal during mating season, it was almost enough to make me want to lie and say I'd seen him somewhere far, far away from the campus, just to give the poor guy a little break. But if there was one thing I'd learned about these things over the years, it was to never get in between hungry predators on the trail of their prey.

"Um…n-no, I haven't…I'm sorry," I replied, bowing slightly. It was the truth; I hadn't seen him for a few nights, since our History class together. It was the only class I took at night, and only because I had enrolled a little late this semester due to…personal issues.

Unfortunately for me, the History course I really wanted to take was only taught during the day for some reason, and all spots in the day classes were already full. So I got to take "Mythology through the ages" with a bunch of brooding, sleep-deprived insomniacs that looked scarier than some of the creatures we were studying about. Lucky me, right?

But as uncomfortable as I was about this, I had noticed from day one that Sasuke seemed perfectly at ease. Though it was probably because night classes were usually quieter and had less students. Then I remembered what Naruto-kun had once told me about Sasuke taking all his classes at night and hardly ever coming out of his room in the daytime.

I thought this was a little strange, but then, who am I—the timid eighteen-year old heiress to one of the biggest businesses in Japan, with skin almost as pale as an albino and large lavender eyes with no pupils— to talk? By all normal standards, I was nothing short of a first-class freak of nature.

Hm...I wonder if Sasuke really accepted an offer to the festival...he doesn't really seem like the celebrating type from what I could tell. Then, suddenly feeling more confident, as if I had nothing meaningful to lose, I bit my lip in concentration before carefully prosing my question, trying to sound polite and only vaguely interested at best, "Um…why do you ask? Has Sasuke-san promised to do something together?" I knew that it was highly unlikely.

It was no secret how he felt about his devoted admirers (especially Ino and Sakura) who followed him around like lovesick puppies whenever he came around not even bothering to try and hide their desperateness.

Still, I was just a little bit curious, and with the big festival right around the corner and everyone scrambling to find a date in time…no matter how closed off they appeared, no one was completely without feelings…right? Even my older cousin, Neji-niisan, who was usually very aloof, could be one of the sweetest guys in the world around me, and I happened to know he's secretly had a crush on his friend TenTen since middle school, and is planning to ask her to be his date to the festival.

Suddenly, the air was so thick with silence it was literally suffocating (or was I just hyperventilating?) as Sakura and Ino continued to glare daggers at each other, and I'm sure you could've heard someone breathing from several miles away.

I vaguely wondered if I should just start apologizing continuously for asking such a ludicrous question and beg them to pretend it never happened, or flee the scene immediately and deal with the consequences of Sakura's wrath and Ino's barrage of questions intended to see if I had developed a crush on _their_ Sasuke-kun, later.

I turned back around to see them engaged in what appeared to be a silent argument. Listening to my instincts, I decided to wait until they had finished before speaking, not wanting to interfere in anyway. Two minutes later and my patience paid off. "Fine then," Ino huffed out with her arms folded, still glaring at Sakura. "Let's see if _Hinata_ can help us out with our little problem, shall we?"

"_Fine_," Sakura reluctantly agreed, glaring right back. I stared between them and blinked in confusion.

Wait, what? It took me several seconds to actually dawn on me, and unfortunately, it was too late by then.

"Hey, Hinata, I know it's kind of sudden, but do you think we could ask you a huge favor?" Ino asked, staring straight at me with huge, innocent looking blue eyes and a sweet, adorable smile painted across her face.

"…Um…I suppose so…" I spluttered out, no really knowing what to do after suddenly being hit with something like this out of the blue. They wanted _me_ to do _them_ a favor? What could someone as incompetent and unimportant as me do for them?

"Great," she chirped, flashing me another charming, mega-watt smile that would drive any man to his knees in a heartbeat. I wasn't affected in quite the same way, but I did feel my knees start to buckle in anticipation. "If you can, I need you to go to Sasuke's dorm room and tell him that Sakura and I are looking for him, and that we want him to meet us at the quad later on this evening, since we know he doesn't seem to like sunlight for some reason." She said nonchalantly, flipping some hair over her shoulder.

"A-Ano…I…" I found myself once again fumbling for the right words.

"Oh please, Hinata? Please do us this favor! I know it might sound kind of weird, but since I can't trust Sakura here to be alone with my sweet Sasuke for any extended period of time," Ino drawled, followed by Sakura's indignant cry of "what?" in outrage.

"I need someone I can trust to go and check up on him, see if you can persuade him to come out and see us after sunset so he can tell the brain-dead Miss Forehead that he's taking _me_ to the spring festival and we can settle this once and for all. Do you think you can do that for me?" she asked gently, giving my shoulder a light squeeze and staring into my eyes while batting her long, curly eyelashes cutely in a puppy-like sort of way.

I didn't know whether it was because of my seeming inability to refuse a request for someone in need or because the look in Ino's eyes was spine-chillingly mesmerizing and impossible to refuse, but I found myself swallowing hard before nodding numbly in agreement.

"Y-Yes…" I managed to squeak out before I found myself ensnared in Ino's death-grip as she swung me limply from side to side like a dark-haired rag doll with bright red-splotched cheeks, my eyes swirling in dizziness.

There it was again—that timid, stuttering little goody-two shoes side of me that everyone who knew I existed thought of as "that weird quiet girl who sits in the back of class and blushes a lot". The one that I sometimes wished didn't exist at all, because it always seemed to lead into the most awkward or outright embarrassing situations…and I had a feeling that this time would be no different.

"Ok, get off her Ino-pig! We need her alive and she obviously can't breathe with you choking her like that!" Sakura snapped as she attempted to pry the blonde-headed girl off me while snarling like a guard dog on the attack.

When she finally did manage to pull Ino off of me, she grabbed onto my arm, pushing my book back into my worn-out duffle bag and hastily handing it to me in what I'm sure she thought was a helpful gesture, and began to drag me out of the peaceful park setting I'd been using for refuge all morning, back towards the dorms on the other side of the massive campus.

I sighed softly to myself, glancing back at my now vacated seat from over my shoulder wistfully. Looks like I could kiss the rest of my leisurely time goodbye…When they'd asked me if I'd talk to Sasuke about going out with one of them, I didn't realize they'd mean _then_, at that _exact_ moment.

But I guess I really should've figured…when it came to impressing their amazingly irresistible Sasuke, they would cross the longest desert, scale the highest mountains and brave the fiercest storms, all in under fifteen seconds if they thought it meant he'd so much as nod in their direction. Sadly, the rest of his fan girls (equivalent to just over half of the campus' female populations) were the same way…

Ino quickly recovered and followed suit, latching onto my other arm as they both began to go over their little plan with me again, before deciding to fill the trip back with casual girl talk, asking me if I was planning to go to the festival, and if so, with whom? How did I keep my hair so straight and shiny? Did I curl my lashes or were they naturally this way? Did I live on campus or off? Had I considered asking Naruto to the festival— add a sly wink from Ino and teasing nudge from Sakura here for a full on blush from me—?

The questions seemed to go on forever, and by the time we reached the dorm buildings, I was exhausted. I waved goodbye and watched them walk away without a care in the world. Probably going to get massages and manicures at the all-day spa on campus and await the good news (provided there was any to tell after I talked to him).

I bit my lip and fiddled with the hem of my hoody—even though it was already mid-spring it had still been very breezy lately, and I felt more comfortable wearing a jacket anyway—mentally bracing myself for the task ahead.

As I turned around to face the tall, stone building I noticed how it looked more ominous than I remembered since the last time I had come to visit Kiba and Shino a week ago. In fact, the sky suddenly seemed to darken, and I could hear thunder rumbling in the background, the flash of lightning conjured up by my tired mind.

Maybe I was just imagining things…but those big black birds perched in the trees over my head sure looked like vultures…One gave a loud screech and flapped its giant wings, lifting its large, sickeningly dark body flying into the air. I shook my head, trying to calm my already jumpy nerves.

Honestly, what had I gotten myself into?

* * *

**PLEASE READ:**

**Phew! I'm finally done with the first chapter! Hopefully, I'm off to a good start. It took a really long time to write, after all, and I was constantly proof-reading and reediting things. Oh, when you review (because I just **_KNOW_** you will), please keep in mind that writing in first-person POV is not something I'm really used to (which you probably already know if you've ever read any of my other stories). **

**I've always just preferred third-person for some reason. *shrugs* But anyway, I decided I needed to gain some experience and the flow of this story just seemed like a good fit to try it out. **

**Also, another thing I'd like feedback on would be the overall layout of this chapter. Looking back and reading over it, I worried that a few particular parts might seem a little too…hm…what's the right word? Rough? Or maybe random? You know, like maybe I didn't connect it as smoothly as I could have?**

**Anyway, that's all I wanted to say for now. That and I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. I hope to make this story well-written and concise. The chapters will all be of decent length, and I'm aiming for the perfect balance of content as well. You know, not too short and hasty, but not lengthy and overly-detailed to the point of losing focus on the plot. So that's what I was going for with this chapter, and I hope it got across (crossing fingers here).**

**And so if you'd kindly review on your way out, I'd be elated. But no flames or ruthless critiques, because some people seem to take it a little too far (you know who you are out there)…**


	2. Slipping Through My Fingers

**Whee! Chapter two is finally up and running! I hoep you enjoy it; i worked really hard on this after all. But you know, even though i made a bit of a stink about it last chapter...looking back, this chapter did seem to include some Sakura bashing...but it was definitely non-intentional. I guess it just turned out that way because of how sasuke feels about her. I realize that when you right about some characters, depending on how they feel about others, slight character bashing may be unavoidable in some cases. just so long as it's not overboard, though...if you know what i mean.**

** So anyway, i apologize to any of you who feel it makes me seem like a hypocrite...I'm not, honestly!**

* * *

There I was, standing outside the door to the room I'd been instructed to visit, wringing my hands together nervously as I stared at the bronze-plated numbers on the door. Number 483.

It was the last door at the end of the hall and seemed to give off a foreboding aura as if warning potential trespassers to stay away. I shakily raised pale knuckles in another attempt to knock, for what was probably the twelfth time now, and just like the other times, I dropped it back at my side.

I knew if I was ever going to get this over with, I had to swallow up my fear and draw out some backbone. After all, it was being a pushover that had gotten me here in the first place. Only showing steadfast resolve could see me through it now.

I raised my hand once more, and this time my knuckles actually made contact with the solid oak, albeit, it was in the gentlest of taps, but the contact was still there, and to my surprise, the door slowly swung forward with a moaning creak, obviously already left open.

I sighed, before placing my hand at the edge of the frame, partially for support and partially to keep the door from making too much noise as I hesitantly poked my head through the opening, glancing around into the darkness of the still room nervously. The dorms were set up more like apartments than just single bedrooms.

They included a kitchen, full-sized bathroom, separate bedroom and living room areas, and some were even so large they had Jacuzzi tubs in the bathroom and an additional bedroom, in case you wanted a guest to sleep over apart from your bedroom. But the college rules stated no co-ed visiting at late hours, so I didn't quite understand the need for the added bedroom space.

"Um…h-hello? Is…is anyone here? …I-If s-s-so, may I please come in?" I called out quietly, trying to stop my voice from trembling while making it louder than a whisper. I had mostly gotten over my stuttering, although it did occasionally come back whenever I was feeling frightened or uneasy, and this was definitely one of those times.

I took a tentative step forward, my shoe leaving the soft plush carpets of the hallway to touch the hard wood floors inside the dorm. It was rather strange actually. It seemed plush carpeting would've been better for a living space and wood would suit the hallways; but then, maybe they were trying to avoid the hefty price to clean the floors if all the rooms had carpeting. There was much more room space than corridor in the dorms, after all.

"H-Hello?" I called again, managing to make my voice a little bit louder, but not any calmer. "Is anyone here?" Again silence was my only answer.

I was just turning to leave, not wanting to intrude any farther into the room, when through the quiet I heard a deep, alluring voice, smooth as silk respond. "…What are you doing here, girl?"

I whirled around, and squinting through the darkness I barely managed to make out a man's silhouette, leaning casually against the wide arch of what I assumed was the living room or kitchen area, since I was currently in the narrow passage of the front entrance. My heart raced and I could feel my pulse soar to new heights I never dreamed were possible.

The lights were turned on and my eyes narrowed at the sudden brightness in the room. Once they were able to adjust, I found myself feeling nauseous somewhere in the pit of my stomach as I gazed straight into the emotionless face of Uchiha Sasuke, the Dark Prince of the campus, himself.

His dark, blank stare bore into me and I felt like he could cut me to ribbons with just a glance alone. His eyes were cold and sharp—dead. Lifeless like those of a seven-day old corpse. I'm sure I was trembling as I tried to find something logical to say. I wanted to look away from that steely gaze that made me feel as if my soul was an open book, but it was like being stuck in quicksand, and every second I was being pulled further and further in, too mesmerized by the darkness to realize where it was leading me.

"Um…" was the only intelligent thing I managed to mumble.

The Dark Prince didn't move; he didn't even blink. He just kept staring, like he was trying to evaluate every inch of my inner being, and I could feel the distinct and disconcerting sensation of being psychologically violated begin to rise. "…Do I know you from somewhere?" he asked coolly, eyeing me with a look of impassive curiosity, mild boredom, and mostly impatience.

"Ano… gomen for trespassing. I…I am Hyuga Hinata, and I— " I bowed deeply as I fumbled for a reason why I'd been caught snooping around his dorm in the dark.

"Hn…Hyuga Hinata…" he grunted, now looking vaguely thoughtful. "You're the girl from my History class. The one that always sits in the back of the room and stutters whenever the teacher calls on you for an answer." I blushed at this description. I didn't expect him to remember my name or face at all.

In class it seemed like he was only ever focused on whatever the teacher was saying or lost in his own little world. I didn't expect him to recognize me, let alone as the timid wallflower that spends the entire class period pressed against the wall in the corner praying silently that the teacher doesn't call on her.

On the few occasions that I fail to avoid drawing his attention and he does, however, I completely zone out, stumbling over my own words like an infant only just learning how to speak, and heating up like a stove, burning red. It's so embarrassing, and even more so now that I know people—important, popular people—have actually noticed it.

I opened my mouth in another attempt to explain my intrusion, when he cut me off, "You're the shy one that's always following the dobe around," he stated nonchalantly as if he were commenting on how round and hot the sun was. And as the irony of it all played out, I felt my face getting warmer and increasing in temperature until I'm almost positive I could've melted anything to close to my body and had my own gravitational pull.

"Y-Yes…wait, n-no! I mean…" I bit my lip hard to prevent anything else regrettably embarrassing from escaping my mouth until I got my bearings enough to reign hold of this situation.

"What do you want anyway? Naruto's room is down the hall to the left, if that's who you're looking for." he said, hands stuffed in his pockets, same expressionless gaze upon his pale face.

I looked away from him, trying to avoid that piercing gave that sent a wave of cold shivers up my spine."I…I came to ask you if…if… you…" I looked up at him to see him glancing at me with one eyebrow raised expectantly, waiting for me to continue.

I paused to lick my suddenly dry lips and stared down at my feet fearfully, suddenly finding the pattern of my rather bland white and black-rimmed sneakers very interesting; wondering if maybe staring at them could help me come up with a way to get myself out of this. Though, somehow, I highly doubted that as being a realistic possibility.

"If I…" he trailed expectantly.

"IfyouwouldmeetInoandSakura-!" I practically screamed out before clamping a hand tightly over my mouth and looking down at the floor. Even I realized how much of an idiot I must've sounded like and there was _no way_ my eyes were going to move from this spot. Ever. I would stare at the spot between my shoes from now until the end of time.

"What?" I heard him say dryly, and I could just imagine the quizzically arched eyebrow that accompanied that tone. Neji always had the same look on his face whenever I made a complete fool of myself trying to say something and he couldn't understand me.

I took a few deep breaths in; trying to keep the taste of the fruit salad I ate earlier this morning for breakfast from reaching higher up in my throat. "Um…would y-you…would you please…c-come to the…the quad at s-sundown…t-to m-meet Ino a-and Sakura-san…?"

I nervously fumbled with the strings of my over-sized pull-over as I felt his dark eyes boring into my head. I could hear my heartbeat echoing in my ears and feel the blood rushing around inside my body. I felt faintly woozy, but fought down the urge to sway as I focused on getting out of this mess without spontaneously combusting.

"…So that's it then? Sakura and Ino put you up to this," he stated flatly, as if he understood the biggest secret in the world and was bored waiting for all the _other '_idiots' who didn't to catch on.

"I knew they were cunning…but this is more than I would've ever given them credit for. They knew I'd never give either of them the time of day, let alone accept an invitation to go anywhere with them, so they sent you, a spineless individual who'd be easy to manipulate into doing their dirty work for them."

My head instantly snapped up at his words, temporarily forgetting the silent pact I'd made to myself to never ever look directly into his eyes again.

The way his sharp, unreadable gaze bore into me…I felt like my soul was an open book to him, and yet his own thoughts were closed off to me and the rest of the world. Sealed off behind an impenetrable steel fortress of undaunted aloofness. It was disturbing, yet nearly impossible to look away, like I was actually being pulled in and staring at those bottomless onyx pools really _could_ make you get lost forever. And not in the figurative sense.

I couldn't believe what he was saying, but then, the more I thought about it…why _else_ would two of the most popular girls on campus suddenly talk to me?

I frowned, feeling like the most pathetic failure in the world. I knew he was right. I had been used, but a part of me didn't want to admit that I could be taken advantage of so easily. Was I so naively blinded by my desire to feel normal when it came to socializing, that I couldn't even recognize the difference between friendly small talk and manipulative prodding?

I swallowed, trying to get rid of the heavy lump in my throat as I felt an all too familiar sensation prickling at the back of my eyes."…I…I thought…"

"That they were being nice to you because they _liked_ you? That you had a chance of becoming _friends_? Is that what you wanted, Hyuga? For them to _accept_ you?" he sneered, shooting me an icy glare that made my blood run cold.

Those eyes really could suck the life out of you. It was like one glance took your breath away, and one gaze made you feel drained and weakened, like having your life force leeched away. _Was this what it was like to stare into the face of death?_ I wondered vaguely as he sauntered closer and my breath hitched in my throat.

With every step closer he took, I stepped further away, desperately trying to keep an applicable amount of space between us, and soon I felt a hard surface pressed at my back. I glanced behind me, mentally cursing my luck. The door. I was now pressed against the very door that had allowed me to enter into this nightmare by the one that I was beginning to think held the key to the gates of hell. The devil himself.

He leaned closer and I now had no where to look but directly into those cryptically dark eyes. I was feeling weak-kneed again, the energy-draining aura he emitted from close up now back with full force. Why was it that no one else seemed to notice how frightening a man he was from so close? Was it because no one had ever_ gotten_ this close before?

Shakily, I tried to lift my arms to my side to push him away, but it was no use. There wasn't enough room. His arms were on either side of my head, and he tilted his head down, leaning even closer (if that was possible).

He was now so close I could clearly feel his warm breath fanning my face and the heat from his body mingling with mine until the combined auras were almost undistinguishable. I knew from the raging heat surging through my body that I was blushing a bright fire engine red.

He noticed this too, and that same sinister smirk from before made its way across his face. "Do I frighten you?" he asked cynically, and I could've sworn that for a moment, his eyes flashed the most chilling shade of red I had ever seen. Obviously, he was amused by my discomfort. What a jerk! What could anyone ever see in him?

"A-Ano…S-Sasuke-san…y-you're t-too close…" I squeaked out as I felt his warm breath blowing behind my ear.

"No one will ever respect you if you don't have the willpower to stand up for yourself." I heard him whisper, his smooth voice sending shivers up my spine. He stepped away, smoothly, and I slumped to the floor at the unexpected loss of support.

I stared after him incredulously, even as he turned away. I blinked, trying to wrap my mind around what had just happened. I wasn't sure, but I think in his own strange way, Uchiha Sasuke had just given me some kind of helpful insight on how to get others respect.

He continued to walk away, back to the room he had first appeared from, before stopping subtly, "That goes for Naruto, too," he said, without turning around.

I struggled to correct my erratic breathing again, catching the hoarse whisper that was my voice, before he completely vanished from sight, around the corner. "B-But wait…w-what about…"

"I don't do festivals," he said smoothly, flicking the light switch as he exited the room, leaving me alone in corridor again.

* * *

I trudged along dejectedly, wondering what I should do next. The talk with Sasuke hadn't gone as planned, and I didn't feel like facing Ino and Sakura right now either, knowing it what just make me feel worse.

But then, trying to avoid them would also be worse when I finally did run into them again. After all, I had two classes with Ino and three with Sakura for a total of five collectively. Which meant I wouldn't be able to avoid them for very long, and only at the cost of being marked absent and failing all my classes until after the whole festival thing was over, and that was definitely _**not **_an option.

So I now found myself back to square one with no solution in sight. I sighed, shoulders slumped, head bowed, feeling like every higher power up there was conspiring against me and everyone I knew was in on it but me.

What was I going to do? Why did things always have to turn out this way? Why couldn't things go my way…for once? I never asked for much. All year long, I was patient, considerate, and always putting everyone else's problems before my own, so why was fate being so cruel to me?

It was— "HEY HINATA!" I jumped at least three inches out of my skin and into the air, startled out of my thoughts by a loud, very familiar voice coming from behind me. Whirling around, I turned to face a sight that sent my every nerve jolting in a mixture of numbing bliss and spine-tingling panic, just like it always did whenever he approached me.

Spiky, golden blond hair in the brightest shade of yellow imaginable, a tanned, whiskered face warmed by the sun's rays, and sparkling ocean blue eyes that always shined with a refreshing spark of life and passion.

I sighed dreamily to myself, trying to fight down the giddy wave of anxiety bubbling its way up my from my stomach as he neared me, still smiling brightly in a way that instantly lifted my mood to immeasurable heights. It was just one of the many amazing effects he had on people. "H-Hello, Naruto-kun…" I murmured shyly.

"What's up Hinata? I don't usually see you walking around this late, and…" he stopped as he caught sight of my beat red face. "Whoa, hey, are you alright? You're shaking all over and your face is burning up!" He gently pressed the back of a cool hand to my forehead, completely unaware of the dangerous effects this had on me.

"Ah…I…I'm fine…I just need a little b-break…" I tried to wave his comment off with a weak smile in an attempt to divert his attention away from my rich red face. He frowned slightly, as if contemplating my answer before giving me a doubtful look.

"Well…if you say so," he trailed off somewhat skeptically. My heart leapt. He was worried about me! Shy. Stuttering. Unimportant. _**Me**_!

I nodded slowly, bowing a little. "Yes…thank you for your concern, Naruto-kun," I managed to whisper softly.

He seemed to shrug my odd behavior off, like he always did. Instead, opting to fold his hands behind his head, falling into step beside me as we continued to wonder across the campus to who knows where. I didn't really care, either, so long as my knight in shining armor was by my side.

"So…" he began, his eyes looking up to the sky as if in thought, "I was headed over to the cafeteria for lunch…wanna come with me?" I almost had to slap myself to remember to keep breathing but instead shook my head inwardly.

First he'd been concerned and now he was asking me to have lunch with him? This must've been the happiest day of my life! "O-of course, Naruto-kun," I smiled shyly, blushing all the while.

He grinned at me, and I could feel all the blood rush to my ears, telling me my face was even redder than before. "Well what are we waiting for?" he asked, linking his arm with mine. "Let's go," he shouted, and before I could speak, he was dragging me off in the direction of the campus's large dining hall.

* * *

I watched in amazement as Naruto consumed what had to be his twelfth bowl of ramen in the last fifteen minutes. I stared down at my own plate with my meager lunch of a chicken salad wrap and a helping of carrot sticks on the side.

I was so busy staring at my beloved Naruto-kun that I'd barely taken more than a few bites so far… Picking up the chicken wrap and taking a dainty bite, I chewed slowly and carefully before swallowing, then, turned to see Naruto motioning for one of the cafeteria workers to bring him another bowl.

Wow…I guess he must've been really hungry… At that exact moment, he turned around to face me and I instinctively looked away, blushing brightly. "Hey, Hinata, what's wrong? You hardly touched your food…" He regarded me with a quizzical look as he slurped up more noodles, wiping the broth off his mouth with the back of his hand.

I fumbled to find an explanation. There was no way I could tell him the truth—that I hadn't able to make much progress with my lunch because I zoned out watching him eat! How awkward would _that_ sound?

Instead, I looked down at my half-eaten wrap nervously, holding it with trembling hands and tenderly nibbling at a piece of chicken that was hanging out of the sleeve. "Oh, um…it…it's nothing…I…I just wanted to take my time because…it's so good," I finished lamely. He stared at me with a strange face and I felt like I could've stood in the middle of the railroad tracks with a train barreling towards me.

"Uh…you know up to your fifth helping is free on Tuesdays, right?" he said slowly, making me feel even stupider. It was true. The cafeteria _did_ give free seconds on Tuesday, but I usually only came here to eat when I was with Kiba and Shino, or too busy to cook my own meals in between classes like I normally did, so it had somewhat slipped my mind.

I swallowed hard as he continued to suck up his noodles, albeit a bit slower, glancing at me curiously from the corner of his eyes to see what I would do next. I took a deep breath and opened my mouth to speak, only to be cut off by an ear-piercing screech from across the cafeteria, "HEY HINATAA!" I cringed at the sheer volume of the noise, as did everyone else within close proximity, then instantly shrank down in my seat, wishing the floor would open up and swallow me down into it.

Coming straight towards me, bright green eyes focused on her destination and short pastel locks swishing slightly with her movements, was Sakura, no doubt wanting to know how my little chat with the broody loner had gone. I shuddered at the thought of revealing my utter failure to get him to comply with the request.

She approached our table and Naruto instantly stopped slurping up noodles to look at her with shimmering eyes, ogling her openly. My heart sank and I turned away so I wouldn't have to see the longing look he was giving her.

I was so pathetic…Why did I keep doing this to myself? I'd known all along that I was no match for someone as inconceivably perfect as Sakura, and yet I still insisted upon putting myself through this kind of torturous rejection as the man I'd adored practically my entire life continued to go on, blissfully unaware of my feelings toward him and almost of the fact that I even existed.

I knew he'd never see me the same way he did her, and yet—"…Hinata, were you listening?" the sound of her clear, confident voice broke me out of my angst-ridden thoughts.

"Oh…um, yes…" I said quietly, turning away from her with a slight blush starching my cheeks. I knew she could tell I was lying; it was a well-known fact that I was possibly one of the worst liars in the history of the world.

Some might find this a positive and even admirable trait, how honest I was, but it was times like this that made me realize just how unfortunate I was to be born with a working conscious and the irritating inkling to help others.

"So…how'd it go then? Did he say yes? Will he do it?" Her hands were clasped tightly at her chest in a hopeful manner, and I hated to imagine the look of heartbreak that would follow when I told her the truth…

I noticed Naruto staring back and forth between us, a long noodle still hanging from his lips, his face clearly expressing his confusion and curiosity. "How'd what go? Did who say yes to what?" he asked anxiously, obviously not liking to be left out of the conversation.

Sakura sighed exasperatedly and gave Naruto a very frustrated look. "Butt out Naruto, it's not like it has anything to do with _you_, anyway!" she snapped irritably, and I frowned slightly as I saw him shrink down in his seat a bit, obviously feeling dejected.

"Geez, Sakura-chan, you don't have to be so cold about it…I just wanted to know what was going on…" he replied, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

"_Well_," Sakura rolled her eyes, "If you _must_ know…Hinata was going to have Sasuke come and meet me at the quad later on tonight so I can ask him out to the Spring Festival next week."

A dreamy look glazed over her vivid green eyes and she sighed, cupping her face with both hands. "Yes, I can see it now…we'll hold hands and… walk through the beautiful moonlit path, under the twinkling stars…it'll be soo _romantic_!" she squealed, causing Naruto to make a disgusted face.

"_WHAT?" _he yelled. "Are you serious? Why would you wanna go with a bastard like that anyway?" he huffed, looking clearly agitated.

"Sakura-chan, when it comes to romance, Sasuke doesn't even know women exist at all; the only person he's interested in is the sight of his own reflection! And besides that, that teme never even comes out of his room, let alone goes to any kind of _party_ where there are other _people _around." He was right, and I'm sure Sakura knew it too, but she was just in denial. Anyone who looked at Sasuke could tell he wasn't much of a "people's" person.

Sakura gave him an annoyed look. "Naruto…" she growled.

"Anyway, why waste your time on **him** when you've got plenty of _other _guys to choose from. Like me, for example, I'm free, I'll be more than happy to take you to the—" Sakura simply got up and walked away, Naruto, only daze momentarily, gave her a sad look, before recovering and getting up after her.

"W-Wait, Sakura-chan! Is that a no?" he called.

I stared after him, feeling like my heart had just been ripped straight from my chest. One glance at Haruno Sakura and he completely forgot I existed, or that we were supposed to be having lunch together for that matter.

It was utterly impossible to keep his attention as long as she was around… I got up to empty my tray, before putting the money for my food and Naruto's down on the table, since he'd run off so fast he'd forgotten to pay for it.

At least the fiasco had bought me some more time before I had to break the news to Sakura, I thought, trying to look on the bright side. Sasuke's words began to replay themselves over again in my head.

Was he right? Did I need to stand up for myself? Was that all it took for my problems to go away? I shook my head, not sure what to thin anymore. The chilling look he'd given me before…and I'm sure that for the briefest of seconds, his eyes had turned red.

The strangest thought of all began to form itself in my head, and I a tiny part of me somewhere deep down, wondered if he was human at all.


End file.
